1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to fitness activity monitoring. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods for monitoring the performance of a fitness activity participant.
2. Background Art
Participation in fitness activities, such as a competitive racing event, can be important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and individual well-being. Technology has resulted in the development of systems capable of monitoring information about the individuals engaged in these activities. For example, some competitive race events include chip timing systems that may monitor the location of a participant during the race. These systems, however, may be limited to only providing location and timing information at certain points along the race course. Moreover, these systems may not be capable of providing other performance information to the participant during the race, such as, pace, speed, and distance, for example. Fitness monitoring systems and methods are needed that provide accurate real-time information to participants of these activities. Providing racing participants with accurate real-time information and performance data can enable an athlete to better control his performance and adapt the performance over the course of the race in order to ideally spend the available resources. In addition, those that watch fitness activities may enjoy the excitement of the competition and may wish to monitor the performance of one or more participants. Monitoring the performance of a racing participant is not only useful from an entertainment perspective, but can, for example, provide a comparison of the physical performances of different participants. Moreover, monitored performance data may be used for supervising the physical condition of an athlete (e.g., by medical staff) in order to prevent injuries or other health threats.